Background:The mother is 42 and the father is 43 years old. The parties commenced a relationship in 1999 when they were in their late twenties.
The case involves competing claims of domestic violence and property dispute.
In relation to parenting matters there are three significant factual disputes.
First, the father contends that he was the victim of serious systematic violence perpetrated by the mother for most the relationship. The mother contends that it was the father who was violent towards her and that if she also engaged in violence, it was in response to the father’s antagonism.
Second, the mother contends that the father and his (second) wife Mrs H abused the children after separation, which is denied by the father.
Finally, it is central to the father and the ICL’s ca

Background:Since separation, the three children lived primarily with their father [Mr Mitchell]. In these proceedings, Mr Mitchell has conceded that he has denied the children their right to a meaningful relationship with their mother, accepted by Mr Mitchell to be a caring and loving relationship, as well as exposing the children to his significant rage and repeated derogatory comments towards his ex-wife and her lesbian partner, while also exposing the children to discussions of adult issues, (such as the mother’s sexuality), which for children of these ages is entirely unnecessary and inappropriate.

Background:The parents were together for two years until they separated in 2001, when their daughter was only eight months old. The father has remarried.
Relations between the pair have been so strained that they have only communicated by email and they have been arguing about which high school she should attend.
They have been battling in the courts since 2003, when the Family Court made orders dealing with their daughter’s surname, where she should live and how much contact each parent should have.
In 2007 the Family Court ordered the parents should have equal shared custody of their child but she should live primarily with her mother.

Background:This is a case of an Anglo-Australian father and a Chinese-born mother.
There was a high level of parental conflict during and after the breakdown of the relationship.
After separation, the mother and father lived in separate states. They had two children aged 11 and 9. The father had then re-partnered.
In dispute over 'contact with the children' after separation, the mother made allegations of child sexual abuse against the father. She also made allegations of physical violence by the father against her and the children.
These allegations were found to be baseless, contrived and pre-meditated by the Court.
The mother also engaged in behaviour intended to incite hatred in the children against the father. This alienation proceeded to a degree where the children did not want t